Splinters From The Board Archive
At the June meeting, the boardapproved changes proposed by theBylaws and Policies Committee toclarify what political activities are acceptablewithin the framework outlined by theIRS. In effect, there is free expression ofpolitical views, but there may not beendorsement of any candidate overanother. Candidates or their representatives mayspeak within the church property, but equal exposuremust be available to opposing candidates.
Administrator Melinda Ewen reported that withthe resignation of Emily Meyers, and the addition ofSara Van Dyck, Victor Nano, Carla DeGovia, VincentCresciman, Ken Alexander, and Joan Verdon, membershipis now at 450.
At the end of May the church operating fund was$7923 under budget for the fiscal year.
The Rev. Judith Meyer reported that the SpiritLevel Foundation has awarded UUCCSM a $20,000matching grant for the new building.
Catherine Farmer, Director of Religious Education,reported that she and the RE Committee are workingto recruit teachers for the coming year. Recruiting forthe summer program is almost complete. This summerthe preschool and kindergarten will explore the senseswhile the first grade and higher grades will becomeworld travelers and study a different country eachweek.
Catherine also reminds us to look into the newplay area, which has rubber tiles and bark. New playequipment will be installed soon.
Music Director Steve Wight reported that the"Stevening" exploring the many musical forms thatuse the human voice was a great success. The LouisDurra Trio also entertained with another evening offine jazz.
This summer Steve will be filling alto, tenor, andbass Section Leader positions, which will improve thelevel of the choir performance and facilitate preparationof music.
- Geralyn Lambson
Charles Haskell, President, reported for the BuildingCommittee that work has begun on movingand remodeling the blue cottage. There is about$1 million dollars in the bank beyond the cottageremodeling phase.
Melinda Ewen, Church Administrator, reportedthat with the death of Jackie Schwartz, the resignationof Barbara Brody, and contact lost with Vicki Dolnick,church membership now stands at 460.
Pledge income is down by $25,898 from our budgetestimate, which may be a seasonal effect; other contributionsare down $2,013, which results from lowerattendance and the increase of generous congregationgiving from 15% to 25%; program income, facility use,and investment income are also down. This is partiallyoffset by savings during the vacancy in the office assistantposition. Apparent savings in other items may notsurvive the half the fiscal year is still before us. Thetotal deficit at this time is $5,961.
The Rev. Judith Meyer reported that the VeteransDay service was successful. The contribution to the AllSaints Legal Defense Fund was $2,157. The new Committeeon Ministry members are Karen Payne, VictorPaddock, and Ren Renshaw.
In response to a directive from the General Assembly,Judith has assembled a group to address the AntiracismInitiative. Members of the group are Jacki Paddock,Linda Van Ligten, Leon and Nicole Henderson-MacLennan, Amelia Harati, and Alyssa Wood. Thegroup is too new to have a name or mission statement,but will report to the board as soon as they do.
Catherine Farmer, Director of Religious Education(DRE), reported that there will be Our Whole Lives(OWL) classes for junior and senior high school students,beginning after the first of the year. The classeswill run concurrently. Guest at Your Table boxes weredistributed on November 19 and will be collected inJanuary.
Peter van den Beemt, Co-Chair of the Music Committee,reported on the success of the first "SaturdaySpotlight," organized by Bronwen Jones and presentedin November. This and future events provide an opportunityfor members and friends to share their musical,poetic, and literary hobbies with the rest of us.
Karen Patch joined Catherine Farmer and JudithMeyer to report on the status of Religious Explorationamong youth in our congregation. There will be a congregationalconversation meeting on December 10 todiscuss RE goals for both youth and adult programs.
One of the greater successes is the monthly jointsocial events of the Coming of Age group and YoungReligious UUs (YRUU). These events have been greatfor building bonds between people in the groups andreinforcing UU identity.
This year in January there will be a true lifespanReligious Exploration of the Lessons of Loss. At all levelsof the youth program there will be discussion, andadults will have the opportunity to participate in afour-week course facilitated by Judith Meyer and LeonHenderson.
Pat Wright reported on the progress in the LongRange Planning Committee, and the board approved amotion of support for the group to move forward withspecific plans. There will be a Town Hall Meeting in thenew year to discuss proposals.
- Geralyn Lambson
The board heard reports from a number ofcommittees. John Fels reported for the PersonnelCommittee that they are reviewing andrevising the personnel handbook to reflectrecent changes in the structure of the staff andresponsibilities of staff members, and to assurecompliance with current laws and regulations.
Jacki Weber reported on the activities of theStewardship Committee. This year they areencouraging members to make five percent ofincome their goal for church contributions.
The Building Committeereported thatthe first step in plansto move and remodelthe blue house isunder way with identificationand removalof hazardous materialssuch as lead paint andasbestos. The upstairsclassrooms in ForbesHall are included inthis effort. This is anecessary step to get abuilding permit.
Melinda Ewen, Church Administrator,reported that with the addition of ShermanNeusom, Tasha Nienow, and Kyle Ludowitz,church membership is now 463. Despite a smalldeficit in pledge payments and reduced incomefrom investments, the operating budget wasover projections at the end of September.
Warren Mathews, Treasurer, pointed out thatCarol Agate and Sandra Trutt have reduced thebook cart deficit from almost $900 to around$300.
The UU Church of Mobile, AL, sent a letter toall UU churches in the U.S. asking for contributionsto support expansion of their churchbuilding in this outpost of liberal thinking. Theboard passed a basket and collected $165 forthe church in Mobile.
The Rev. Judith Meyer pointed out that theCommittee on Ministry needs members. Theboard will approve appointments for a threeyearterm. Preparation for the Arlington Westservice continues.
Catherine Farmer, Director of ReligiousExploration (DRE), reported that she is planninga congregational conversation on ways toserve children and youth in our congregation.She is also providing an RE Updates Bulletinthat is available by e-mail for parents and interestedchurch members.
Steve Wight, Music Director, reported thatnew members and new section leaders havecontributed to the great performance of thechoir this year. The choir will participate in theArlington West service this month. The MusicCommittee is working to replace our sound system.Since the amplifier died last season, thereis no way to amplify voices or instrumentsexcept though the PA system.
- Geralyn Lambson
The board approved the motion to name WarrenMathews as head of the Finance Committee inkeeping with the new definition of the responsibilitiesof the Treasurer.
The board also approved the creation of a sustainabilitycommittee to be chaired by Sandra Trutt andLeslie Reuter. The purpose is to educate church staffand members about practical ways to "live green" inpersonal, church, and community contexts. The committeewill function within the Faith in Action program.
Melinda Ewen, Church Administrator, reported thatthe resignation of Murray Greenburg and Kirk Silsbeeand the addition of new member William Dimpfl bringstotal membership to 460.
Melinda also reported that, early in the budget year,both income and expenditures balance within theapproved budget.
The Rev. Judith Meyer is working with the ReligiousSymbolism Committee to develop ideas to preserve thesymbols in the absence of the disintegrating banners inthe sanctuary. She will be training facilitators for thecovenant groups to be announced at the "GettingInvolved Sunday" event. She is working with the Rev.Anne Hines of Canoga Park and Veterans for Peace topresent a UU service at "Arlington West" at the beach onVeteran's Day Sunday, November 12. The service willremember and honor those who have lost their livesin Iraq.
Music Director Steve Wight and the Music Committeewith new chair Bronwyn Jones are working todevelop a wealth of new musical events as well as continuingthe Stevenings and the Louis Durra concerts. Inaddition there will be many new soloists for Sunday services,and performances will be extended within thesecond service.
Director of Religious Education Catherine Farmerreported that she has completed volunteer training.Early registration for students in the program has beensuccessful and registration is continuing. Youth activitiesfor Coming of Age classes and Young Religious UUs(YRUU) are planned. Also completed are facilitatortraining and class schedules for adults.
- Geralyn Lambson
The board approved motions at the lastmeeting to appoint Carol Agate to be ourPacific Southwest District (PSWD) representative.In the election for UUA representativefrom the PSWD, the board agreed to award allof our votes to the one candidate who gets themost votes at the September board meeting.
The board approved an expenditure of notmore than $10,000 of Capital Campaign fundsto Kendall Planning and Design for the followingfacility planning services required for theproposed renegotiation of the current varianceand conditional use permit (CUP) placed onour property by the city of Santa Monica:
After approval of the minutes of the June meeting,Melinda Ewen, Church Administrator, reportedthat with new members Rhonda Peacock, KristenHolmquist, and Scott Wheeler, church membersipnow stands at 464.
The Bylaws and Policies Committee presented andthe board approved motions to:
Our new president, Charles Haskell, called themeeting to order and explained some of his philosophyof leadership. He is not recommending aboard retreat in August this year because he thinks theboard should be having regular meetings and others,such as town hall meetings, to deal with specific subjectssuch as the building program and planning for the nextchurch year.
Other points were to include proposed motions in theagenda, and he encouraged board members to participatein committees that reflect their most strongly heldinterests.
Since proposed motions were included in the agenda,the board was able to discuss and approve the following:
Charles Haskell chairedthe meeting. After the minuteswere approved MelindaEwen, Church Administrator,reported that churchmembership is now 457.
The board approved the newsletter policies asproposed by the editorial team, and the appointmentof Cathie Gentile to replace Charles Haskell aschair of the Faith in Action Commission.
Melinda reported that Chuck Craig has acceptedour offer to be the church's office assistant and thatwe bought out his contract with the agency. He willbe working 30 hours per week.
Warren Mathews presented a budget summarythat, in keeping with the recommendations of PeterHenrickson, shows the expenses on a functionalrather than a chart-of-accounts basis. It also treatsinvestment earnings as earnings, with only enoughto balance the budget transferred to income. Thebudgeted income from Dining for Dollars was$24,000 and the anticipated actual income is$27,500. Leslie Reuter's "So Much to Do, So LittleTime" auction added $5400. A big increase inexpenses is attributable to the parking attendantcosts, which were transferred from the building fundinto operating expenses. Facility maintenance costsmay be higher than currently estimated if we needtenting for termites.
There was discussion of the annual meetingagenda, including the question of whether all or aportion of the Art Wall should be converted to a bulletinboard. This question will be presented to thecongregation for non-binding discussion.
Melinda reported she is getting bids for tentingfor termite treatment, pointing out that we were inerror not to continue the contract after the tentingin 2002. Warren Mathews suggested that shecontact the organ people to make sure there is no problem with tenting.
Carol Agate reported thatwe are allowed nine delegatesand nine alternates tothe UUA General Assembly.The board approved appointment of Bonnie Brae,Karen Patch, Jacki Paddock, David Denton, andCarol Agate. Carol is authorized to add to this listother members who ask for delegate or alternate status.
The Rev. Judith Meyer reported that the LifespanReligious Education program continues developmentin coordination with Catherine Farmer, Directorof Religious Education. The committee workingon the program for adults now includes Leon Hendersonand Nicole MacLennan. A planning session isscheduled for June 3, and launch is planned for September.
Catherine reported that after the inspiring Comingof Age Sunday, plans are under way for the BridgingSunday service on June 4, in which we will honorthis year's high school seniors' transition into youngadulthood. These seniors are Nathan Gates, EmilyHero, Chris Marten and Daniel Teplitz.
Plans for the summer program include exploringa different Dr. Seuss story each week for thepreschool and first grade classes, and a course in"The Senses," exploring a different sense each weekfor the older children, with a discussion of intuitionand humor rounding out the program.
Steve Wight reported on the success of the choirconcert for Dining for Dollars. He also reported thatseveral new and not-so-new soloists are beingscheduled for summer services. A violin/cello/pianotrio headed by Paula Yoo will play both for morningservice and for an evening music event co-sponsoredby the music committee.
- Gerrie Lambson
Alison Kendall reported that the city has issued a statement of official action,which makes it possible for us to apply for building permits for phase one,moving the blue bungalow. We are required to continue the good neighbor policyand we already have a variance that allows us to provide off-site parking.
The board approved allocation of $34,800 for architectural services for phaseone. Alison estimated the cost of phase one between $350,000 and $400,000. Theboard approved making the chancel wheelchair accessible, and authorized proceedingwith the design of a ramp for that purpose.
Melinda Ewen, Church Administrator, reported that with ten new members andtwo deaths, church membership is now 460.
Charles Haskell reported that for the first time the Bylaws and Policies Committeehas no changes to present at the annual meeting, largely because of the manychanges last year.
Warren Mathews reported that Dining for Dollars earned over $25,000, $3,000over budget, and "$o much to do" earned over $5,000 and an additional $2,000from the donated art sale. Warren forecasts the yearend surplus will be over$40,000, primarily because of the successful pledge drive and higher interestrates on our investments.
Warren presented, and the board approved, the budget produced by the FinanceCommittee for presentation to the congregation at the annual congregationalmeeting.
For the nominating committee, Kathy Cook announced the slate of candidatesfor next year's board and nominating committee to be voted on at the congregationalmeeting on May 21. (See story on page 1.)
The Rev. Judith Meyer reported that the UUA Mid-Size Congregation workshopin Phoenix presented many useful ideas, especially information that can be usedby the Membership and Leadership Committee. Judith also reported that the LifespanRE Committee is developing a mission statement and beginning to explore possibleprograms.
Catherine Farmer, Director of Religious Education, reported that the Wednesdaynight Covenant Group will help plan and direct one or two activities each weekduring the May Art Intensive Month as their church service project. Judy Schonebaumwill be creating a music track for the second activity each week. Catherinealso reported that the Lifetime RE Children's Program visioning meetings providedbetter understanding of what works and many insights for new directions.
Steve Wight, Music Director, reported that the choir continues to grow, thoughthere still are too few men. Preparations continue for the Dining for Dollarsevent "Songs of Social Conscience" to be presented May 6. Peter van den Beemtis arranging the next Church Talent Sunday for June 6.
- Gerrie Lambson
Carol Kerr reported for the Building Committee that parking limitations imposedby the City in our conditional use permit and parking variance create concernsabout the long tem use of our property, and the Building Committee continuesto review strategies and alternatives to allow us to move forward.
Melinda Ewen reported that we have nine new members, bringing total membershipto 454. She also reported that she has found a new office assistant, Amey Storm.
Warren Mathews reported a currently projected surplus for this fiscal yearof around $42,700, primarily as a result of increased pledges and increasedinvestment income.
The board scheduled a retreat on Saturday, April 8, to meet with UU financialconsultant Peter Henrickson. He will address the congregation in Sunday's services.
Dan Teplitz reported for the Religious Exploration Program. All classes arebeginning the study of the Fifth Principle. The RE Council is planning a summerprogram and has scheduled a meeting to develop a vision for next year and thefuture.
Peter van den Beemt reported that the Music Committee plans to create a videoof the next jazz concert, and to expand the music enrichment program. He alsopointed out that Steve Wight does more than just direct the choir on Sunday.He recruits guest musicians, arranges pieces to fit our needs, and even writeslyrics, as he did the "Thanks for the Memories" number for the Ernie Pipes celebration.
Rev. Judith Meyer passed on a request from Silvio Nardoni that we donate theMarch 26 collection to the UU 2006 9 Legislative Ministry. The board approvedthe gift. Judith also presented a request from Sharon Berke that we raise anddonate $5000 over time to the Ocean Park Community Center (OPCC) building fund.The board approved the request.
Judith thanked board members who participated in the Lifespan Religious Explorationmeeting and others who attended the UUA Mid-size Congregation meeting with her.
Catherine Farmer, Director of Religious Education, reported that efforts areunderway to include the children in the adult portion of the worship service.Plans are being developed for two intergenerational services during the nextchurch year. One of the problems of RE program planning is the different sizesof the age groups. Some of the younger age groups are very small, while thereare 11 members of the Coming of Age group this year. The YRUU group has beenworking to prepare a strong program for the April 2 service.
Catherine attended the UUA Campus Ministry Advisory Committee meeting in SantaBarbara. She is currently serving the second year of a two-year term on thecommittee as representative from the UU religious educators' professional association.
Steve Wight, Music Director, reports that the increase in choir membershipcontributes to a richer sound, though the imbalance of male and female membersrequires careful arrangement to balance the parts. As part of the music enrichmentprogram, Steve is working with Peter to plan a major event for the fall.
-Gerrie Lambson